Where does “boast” come from?
Boast comes from Middle English boosten, derived from Middle English bost, which developed from Proto-Germanic bausuz, ultimately traced to Proto-Indo-European bʰew-.
boast (English): A brag; ostentatious positive appraisal of...
Definitions
- A brag; ostentatious positive appraisal of...
Ancestry of “boast”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | bosten | to threaten |
| 2 | Middle English | bost | boast, glory, noise, arrogance, presumption,... |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | bost | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | bausuz | inflated; swollen; puffed up; proud; arrogant;... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰew- | to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to... |
Words derived from “boast”